10 People to Follow on Twitter If You Care About Food Politics

The issues that plague the American food system have become increasingly present in local and national news. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg sparked numerous debates around the way food affects public health, including an ultimately unsuccessful campaign to ban 16-ounce sodas in restaurants. Across the country, people are banding together in an effort to ban genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from the majority of the crops grown in America. Big name brands are catching on that consumers want organic products, and now you can’t walk through the grocery store without every other product boasting a newly minted green logo, pastoral background, screaming that it’s “all-natural.” (Though that might not always mean what you think.)

Suring Instagram for food porn and chef-stalking on Twitter is all well and good (needless to say, we do plenty of that), it’s also important to keep an eye on broader food issues and stay engaged in debates about where our food comes from and how we eat. To help you out, we’ve rounded up ten of the most influential food policy heavy-hitters who have taken a firm stance on a laundry list of issues. These are also people who often take to Twitter to air their opinions or share information.

While some names may be familiar (ahem, Michael Pollan), others are still working on getting their message out. If you’re looking to expand your food-policy knowledge from the one time you watched Food Inc. five years ago, following these folks is a good place to start.

Tom Colicchio

Twitter handle:@tomcolicchioKey Issues: Tom Colicchio is a household name, thanks to his award-winning restaurants and his run as a Top Chef judge. When he’s not busy challenging contestants, the chef has been using his celebrity status for good. Colicchio is one of the executive producers behind the documentary A Place at the Table, which chronicles hunger and food insecurity in America. He’s also been making the rounds in Washington, lobbying against hunger and cutting the budget for food stamps. After it was revealed that the GOP voted to cut 39 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps), Colicchio took to Twitter to slam representatives saying “All house republican who voted for a 40 billion cut to SNAP are pro hunger.” And that's just one example—he can go months without tweeting a food photo or restaurant intel, but he's constantly engaged in the issues that matter to him, often bringing other big-name food folks like Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain into the conversation.

House members, a vote for a 40 billion dollar cut to SNAP will make you pro hunger #prohunger

Mark Bittman

Twitter handle:@bittmanKey Issues: The New York Times columnist and award-winning cookbook author is also an advocate for responsible consumption. In his book Food Matters, Mark Bittman discusses how the food we eat is affecting the planet, and what we can do to change that. Bittman voices that Americans need to cut down on meat consumption, for their health and for the environment. The book, which also rallies against processed foods, offers 77 recipes that are equal parts fulfilling, sustainable, and tasty. In his current New York Times column, Bittman covers everything from the benefits of veganism, bacteria in factory farming, to feeding the planet with the resources we have. His Twitter feed reflects all of this, and is the best way to keep up on his writing about various topics related food safety and politics.

Michael Pollan

Twitter handle:@michaelpollanKey Issues: Michael Pollan is the granddaddy of food politics. Pollan first gained recognition in the food world with the release of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, where he took a first-hand look at how food is produced, and the harsh reality of the affects of each. Since then, he has also released In Defense of Food, Food Rules, and most recently, Cooked. He’s known for being a left-leaning, anti-industrial farming crusader, and although he’s no stranger to controversy, he’s not only sparked public interest in where our food comes from, but why we should care.

Michelle Obama

Twitter handle:@MichelleObamaKey Issues: The first lady has made it her mission to end childhood obesity in America through her program Let’s Move!. The campaign breaks down the facts of obesity (did you know that one in three children in America are either overweight or obese?), and how to combat the issues through nutrition education, physical activity, and community-oriented initiatives.
In addition to empowering kids to take personal responsibility for their health, Michelle Obama has been actively promoting healthier food in schools and more accurate food labeling. Under Let’s Move!, a program called Chefs Move to Schools was created where professional chefs volunteer to train kids in culinary skills, help school staff create new lunch menus, and plant community gardens.
FLOTUS has also stood up to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, or GMA, which represents the largest food and beverage companies in the world (think Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Kellogg, Kraft), voicing that changes need to be made within the industry, from how food products are marketed to children, to the ingredients used in those products. Of course, being the president’s wife has its advantages when it comes to spreading the word, but Michelle Obama has repeatedly proved her dedication to ending obesity will outlive her eight years in the White House.

Alice Waters

Twitter handle:@AliceWatersKey Issues: The queen of California cuisine, the grandmother of food activism in America—Alice Waters needs little introduction. Sure, everyone loves Chez Panisse, but Waters has been making waves for decades for her strong views on organic food, supporting local farmers (and therefore local economies), and shying away from big business. Through her work with The Edible Schoolyard, Waters has also been advocating healthier lunch options in public schools. It seems that every chance Waters gets, she’s making her case heard.

Vani Hari

Twitter handle:@thefoodbabeKey Issues: It took a stressful job and an unexpected weight gain (and a case of appendicitis) for Vani Hari to realize the food she was eating was taking a toll on her body. Since 2011, Hari has made a name for herself with her blog, Food Babe. Hari and her team offer investigative reports into the ingredients big food companies including Kraft, Chipotle, and Starbucks use in their products, healthy alternatives to processed foods, and eating guides. Chipotle famously started including a list of their ingredients in every dish thanks to Hari’s persistence (previously they only used phrases like “food with integrity” and “it’s what’s inside that counts”).

Marion Nestle

Twitter handle:@marionnestleKey Issues: When it comes to food policy, Marion Nestle knows her stuff. Nestle boasts a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, and is currently a professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, Public Health, and Sociology at New York University. Nestle has penned numerous books on food policy, including Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, What to Eat, and Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety. Her monthly column for The San Francisco Chronicle, which will be ending this December, takes on various food and nutrition topics from soda tax and school lunches, to the issues behind the infamous pink slime. Nestle’s website foodpolitics.com also tackles a bevy of issues plaguing the food industry.

Jonathan Bloom

Twitter handle:@WastedFoodKey Issues: Jonathan Bloom first became interested in food waste in 2005 after volunteering at a homeless shelter in D.C., which made their meals from unused food from restaurants and grocery stores. It was during this time he learned that 40% of the food in America goes to waste, and 25% of the perishable food items people buy are wasted. Since then, he has become an advocate against food waste in America. His book, American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It) explores every avenue of the food supply chain and how waste develops along the way. While some food activists solely point fingers at big business, Bloom gives real-life suggestions for how people can eliminate waste in their homes.

Naomi Starkman

Twitter handle:@NaomiStarkmanKey Issues: Naomi Starkman calls herself a farmer, not a foodie. She’s the founder and editor-in-chief of the website Civil Eats, which was started as the first online platform for the Slow Food Movement. Since then, the site has blossomed into a full-fledged website with over 100 contributors who cover topics on sustainable agriculture and the inner workings of the American food system. This year, Naomi and fellow Civil Eats founding editor Paula Crossfield launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to get the site properly funded, although they would still not be paid. Always looking out for the good of the people, Starkman is also a food policy consultant to the Consumers Union, which works to pass and protect consumer laws.

Michele Simon

Twitter handle:@MicheleRSimonKey Issues: Michele Simon is a public health lawyer specializing in legal strategies to counter corporate tactics that harm the public’s health. Though she’s been a mainstay on the food-policy scene since 1996, she released her first book back in 2006, called Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Out Health and How to Fight Back. Her website Eat Drink Politicsbreaks down everything from nutrition labeling, to faulty public relations tactics and agricultural policy, to marketing to youth and deceptive health claims. One of Simon’s biggest accomplishments was helping ban alcoholic energy drinks, included the notorious Four Loko.

"The pardoned turkeys aren't that much better off — because the life of a turkey is misery and pain."
— Michele Simon JD MPH (@MicheleRSimon) November 28, 2013

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